The entire voting process was estimated to take between 30 to 45 minutes. Once all the members of parliament had cast their votes, the Chief Justice would immediately announce the result based on the number of votes. At that point, the decision would be final and irreversible.
As a participant in this event, Mavi, although not a Ukrainian parliament member and therefore unable to vote, had arrived at the parliament early. He intended to stand by the anti-European faction, including Snieryana, until the very last moment.
When Deputy Prime Minister Snieryana saw Mavi in a suit at the entrance of the parliament building, she nodded at him with a slightly fatigued expression and said, "Mr. Mavi, thank you for your efforts on behalf of Ukraine over the past ten days."
Mavi shook his head. To be honest, he hadn't been of much help at all. "Deputy Prime Minister Snieryana, how is the situation? How many votes do the pro-EU parliament members have?"
"From what I've gathered, at least 135 votes," Snieryana replied with a hint of bitterness. The Ukrainian parliament had a fixed number of 450 members, with 230 participating in this vote.
With at least 135 members in favor, it was a decisive victory. Moreover, some members were likely to abstain, further reducing the number of votes against the proposal…
---
An hour later, the parliamentary vote officially began. Hundreds of Ukrainian parliament members, dressed in formal attire, gathered in the assembly hall, awaiting the Chief Justice's arrival to oversee the proceedings.
In this parallel world's version of the year 2000, Ukraine had not yet adopted electronic voting. Instead, the Chief Justice would call out each present member's name and ask whether they supported or opposed the proposal.
Before the vote could begin, the Chief Justice conducted roll call to confirm attendance. This tedious process lasted over ten minutes, and all 230 members were present. With that settled, the voting process officially began.
"Representative Peter, regarding the European Union's economic aid proposal for Ukraine, do you support or oppose it?" the Chief Justice asked clearly.
"I support it, Your Honor," replied Peter, a staunch pro-European representative. After voting, he deliberately glanced at Snieryana, who was sitting in the audience.
"Next, Representative Igor. Support or oppose?" the Chief Justice continued.
"I also support it, Your Honor," Igor responded firmly.
---
As one representative after another cast their votes, Snieryana, watching from the audience, grew increasingly anxious. The situation was worse than she had expected! Some representatives who had initially promised to vote against the proposal were now switching sides at this critical moment.
Among the first 86 votes cast, 54 were in favor—nearly 60%! The outcome seemed inevitable, leaving no room for reversal…
However, just as Deputy Prime Minister Snieryana's expression turned grim, a high-ranking Ukrainian official suddenly entered the hall and approached her. Leaning in, he whispered, "Deputy Prime Minister, Mr. Mavi says he has urgent and important news. He needs you to step outside immediately!"
Hearing this, Snieryana had a sudden intuition that this could be a game-changing moment! Without hesitation, she stood up and hurriedly followed the official out of the hall.
Seeing this unexpected scene, Representatives Peter, Igor, and the other pro-European members exchanged puzzled glances. They had no idea why the Deputy Prime Minister had rushed out so suddenly.
"Could she be so enraged that she needed a bathroom break?" Some pro-European members smirked and exchanged knowing looks. To them, the outcome was already sealed—no matter what Snieryana tried, she couldn't change the final result.
---
Meanwhile, in the Ukrainian parliament hallway, Deputy Prime Minister Snieryana met with Mavi.
"What's the urgent news, Mr. Mavi? The vote is almost over!" Snieryana asked, slightly out of breath.
Mavi knew time was critical, so he got straight to the point. "Just now, Deputy Prime Minister, I received a major order worth 2.5 billion dollars. It's for warships from your country's Black Sea Shipyard. I believe this could turn things around—"
Before he could finish, Snieryana's heart nearly skipped a beat in shock!
If they hadn't been standing in the Ukrainian parliament, she would have rushed forward and hugged Mavi in gratitude!
"Is… is this real, Mr. Mavi?!" Snieryana asked, barely able to believe it.
"Of course it's real, Deputy Prime Minister. I have the official fax they just sent over, complete with the national seal," Mavi said, pulling a white document from his folder. The black-and-white text was clearly legible, and the red national seal was stamped prominently.
With trembling hands, Snieryana took the document. She shot Mavi a deeply grateful glance but had no time to thank him properly. Clutching the paper tightly, she turned and sprinted back to the assembly hall.
---
Watching her rush away, Mavi suddenly had a paranoid thought: What if she turned the corner and tore up the document? Now that would be a plot twist!
Luckily, it was just his paranoia. Otherwise, he might have coughed up blood in frustration.
As Deputy Prime Minister Snieryana reentered the assembly hall, slightly out of breath and holding the document, the vote had already progressed two-thirds of the way, with just over 70 representatives left to cast their votes.
At this moment, Snieryana displayed her unwavering determination. Striding straight to the front, she addressed the Chief Justice.
"Your Honor, I formally request that you exercise your authority to immediately halt and postpone this parliamentary vote!" she declared, her voice resolute.
Her words sent the entire hall into an uproar! No one could understand what had just happened.
The staunchly pro-European members, in particular, erupted in protest.
"What right do you have to demand a halt to the vote?!"
"We're already two-thirds of the way through! You can't just stop it now!"
In foreign parliaments, heated arguments and shouting matches were not uncommon. Sometimes, debates even escalated into physical altercations.
"Order! Order!" the Chief Justice commanded, restoring silence. He then turned to Snieryana, his gaze serious. "What is your reasoning, Deputy Prime Minister? If it is not sufficiently justified, then—"
(End of Chapter)